I N D I A N A D E P A R T M E N T

O F E D U C A T I O N

Reduce Sodium in School Meals

Offer high-sodium foods less often. Limit the use of:

Salty, smoked or cured meat such as bologna, hot dogs, ham,

luncheon meats, and sausage

Salty snack items such as chips and pretzels

Ready-to-eat canned foods such as soups, chili, and ravioli

Food prepared in brine such as pickles, olives, and sauerkraut

Food items made with cheese — try not to include too many items

made with cheese over the course of a week

Condiments — when possible, limit the portion size of condiments

such as ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, and salad dressing

Modify recipes that use high-sodium ingredients. Reduce or eliminate salt from recipes when possible

Limit the use of ingredients such as bouillon cubes, ham base, and

chicken base

Try different herbs and spices as seasonings in place of salt

Emphasize that salt should not be added to recipes unless it is listed

as an ingredient

Salt can be eliminated from any recipe except a recipe that contains

yeast

Read Nutrition Facts labels. Foods that are low in sodium contain

less than 140 milligrams (mg) per

serving. Compare the sodium content

of similar foods and choose products

with the lowest amount of sodium per

serving.

Serve more fresh foods. Most fresh fruits and vegetables are

naturally low in sodium.

Purchase low-sodium products

when available.

USDA has new sodium

requirements for the Na-

tional School Lunch Pro-

gram and School Break-

fast Program. Refer to

page two of this fact sheet

for targets and timelines.

You should be working

toward lowering the sodi-

um content of school

meals.

Too much salt and sodium

are linked to high blood

pressure. Reducing

dietary sodium can lower

blood pressure, which

reduces the risk of cardio-

vascular disease.

Nearly all Americans

consume more sodium

than they need.

The 2015 Dietary

Guidelines for Americans

recommend reducing dai-

ly sodium intake to less

than 2,300 milligrams

(mg) for adults and chil-

dren ages 14 years and

older. The guidelines

recommend reducing

sodium intake to 1,500

mg among persons who

have prehypertension or

hypertension.

One teaspoon of salt

equals about 2,300 milli-

grams (mg) of sodium.

Most of the sodium we

consume is in the form of

salt, and the vast majority

of sodium we consume is

in processed foods.

Page 1

Sodium Limits and Timeline

Target 1: School Year 2014-2015

Lunch

≤ 1230mg (K-5)

≤ 1360mg (6-8)

≤ 1420mg (9-12)

Breakfast

≤ 540mg (K-5)

≤ 600mg (6-8)

≤ 640mg (9-12)

Target 2: School Year 2017-2018

Lunch

≤ 935mg (K-5)

≤ 1035mg (6-8)

≤ 1080mg (9-12)

Breakfast

≤ 485mg (K-5)

≤ 535mg (6-8)

≤ 570mg (9-12)

Final target: 2022-2023

Lunch

≤ 640mg (K-5)

≤710mg (6-8)

≤740mg (9-12)

Breakfast

≤430mg (K-5)

≤470mg (6-8)

≤500mg (9-12)

Definitions

Herbs are leaves, stems, and seeds from plants and are available fresh, dr ied, or ground.

Spices come from the bark, roots, seeds, and fruit of plants and trees.

Tips for Using Herbs and Spices

The herb equivalent is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried leafy herbs or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground

dried herbs.

In general, double the herbs and spices in a recipe when increasing from 50-100 servings. Increase the herbs or

spices by 25% for each additional 100 servings and test the recipe.

Storage of Herbs and Spices

Protected fresh herbs will keep up to four days in the refrigerator. Store dried herbs and spices in a cool, dry

place in an airtight container. Dried herbs and spices will retain their flavor for 6 months to 1 year. Record the

date of delivery on all dried herb and spice containers. Purchasing dried herbs and spices for schools twice each

year to be used within a school year is a good practice.

Foods Used for Seasoning

Foods used for seasoning include a variety of bell peppers, chili varieties, carrots, celery, garlic, leeks, onions,

and shallots. These seasonings can be fresh, dried, powders, or granules. Purchase garlic, onion, and celery pow-

ders or granules; not garlic, onion, or celery salts, which have more sodium.

This chart lists the new sodium requirements for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast

Program. Implementation of the second and final targets is subject to USDA’s review of data on the relation-

ship between sodium intake and human health.

The sodium limits listed in the chart are to be met on average over a week.

Page 2

Reduce Sodium in School Meals

Herbs

Name Form Taste Uses

Basil Fresh, dried

chopped leaves

Mint licorice-like flavor Pizza, spaghetti sauce, tomato dishes, vegetable soups,

meat pies, peas, zucchini, green beans

Chives Fresh,

freeze dried

In the onion family;

Delicate flavor

Baked potato topping, all cooked green vegetables, green

salad, cream sauces, cheese dishes

Cilantro Fresh, dried Sweet aroma, mildly

peppery

Ingredient in Mexican foods

Dill Fresh, dried,

seeds

Aromatic Dill pickles; seeds in meats, sauces, salads, coleslaw,

potato salad, and cooked macaroni; dill weed in salads,

sandwiches, and uncooked mixtures

Marjoram Fresh, dried

whole or ground

Faintly sage like, alight

mint aftertaste, delicate

Vegetables, one of the ingredients in poultry and Italian

seasoning; processed foods such as bologna

Oregano Fresh, dried

leaves, ground

More pungent than

marjoram, reminiscent of

thyme

Pizza, other meat dishes, cheese and egg dishes,

vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini, or green beans;

an ingredient in chili powder and Italian seasoning

Parsley Fresh, dried flakes Sweet, mildly spicy,

refreshing

A wide variety of cooked foods, salad dressings, and

sandwich spreads

Rosemary Fresh, whole

leaves

Refreshing, pine,

resinous, pungent

Chicken dishes and vegetables such as eggplant, turnips,

cauliflower, green beans, beets, and summer squash;

enhances the flavor of citrus fruits; breads, rolls, biscuits

Rosemary has a strong taste. Limit dried rosemary to

one teaspoon per six servings (5 tablespoons for 100

servings).

Sage Whole, rubbed,

ground

Pungent, warm, astringent Meat, poultry stuffing, salad dressings; cheese

Try in small amounts when using for the first time.

Thyme Fresh, dried

whole or ground

Strong, pleasant, pungent

clove flavor

Soups and stews, poultry stuffing, vegetables, breads

Dried thyme has a medium intensity. Add no more than

one or two teaspoons for six servings of a dish

(2 to 5 tablespoons for 100 servings).

Season Foods Without Salt

Page 3

Spices

Name Taste Uses Form

Allspice The aroma suggests a

blend of cloves, cinna-

mon, and nutmeg; sweet

flavor

Fruit cakes, pies, relishes, preserves, sweet potatoes and

tomatoes

Whole berries,

ground

Cinnamon Warm, spicy sweet flavor Cakes, buns, breads, cookies, and pies Whole sticks,

ground

Cloves Hot, spicy, sweet,

penetrating flavor

Ground cloves in baked goods and desserts and to

enhance the flavor of sweet vegetables, such as beets,

sweet potatoes, and winter squash

Whole, ground

Ginger Aromatic, sweet, spicy,

penetrating flavor

Baked goods; rubbed on meat, poultry, and fish;

in stir-fry dishes

Fresh, whole,

cracked, ground

Mace Strong nutmeg flavor The thin red network surrounding the nutmeg fruit;

used in baked goods where a color lighter than nutmeg is

desirable

Ground

Mustard Sharp, hot, very pungent Meats, poultry, fish, sauces, salad dressings, cheese and

egg dishes; whole seeds in pickling and boiled beets,

cabbage, or sauerkraut

Whole seeds,

powdered,

prepared

Nutmeg Spicy, pleasant flavor Baked goods, sauces, vegetables, desserts Whole, ground

Paprika Sweet, mild, or pungent

flavor

A garnish spice, gives an appealing appearance to a wide

variety of dishes; used in the production of processed

meats such as sausage, salad dressings, and other

prepared foods

Ground

Peppercorns; black,

white, red, and pink

Hot, biting, very pungent This spice has many uses in a wide variety of foods.

White pepper is ideal in light colored foods where dark

specks might not be attractive. Use pungent white

pepper during the cooking process rather than at the end

of cooking.

Whole, ground,

coarse ground

Red pepper

(Cayenne)

Hot, pungent flavor Meats and sauces Ground, crushed

Season Foods Without Salt

This fact sheet was adapted from: the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction fact sheet Guide for Reducing Salt And Other

Sodium Containing Additives in School Meals; USDA fact sheet Season Your Foods Without Salt; the School Nutrition August

2011 magazine article Why Seasonings Are Worth Their “Salt”; Lesson 33—Herbs, Spices, and Seasonings from the National Food

Service Management Institute’s No Time To Train: Short Lessons for School Nutrition Assistants; and 2015 Dietary Guidelines.

Revised 3/2017

Page 4

To access the National Food Service Management Institute’s No Time To Train Lesson 33 on Herbs, Spices, and Sea-

sonings, go to www.nfsmi.org/ResourceOverview.aspx?ID=256.

Page 5

Reduce Sodium in School Meals

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices,

and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA pro-

grams are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin,

sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any

program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for

program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Lan-

guage, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for

benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities

may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Addi-

tionally, program information may be made available in languages other than

English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program

Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write

a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information re-

quested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-

9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.